Hometown Connections and ElectSolve Team Up to Market Meter Data Management Services

Integration Platform for Variety of Utility Data SystemsJune 13, 2011: EVERGREEN, Colo. — To help public power electric, gas and water utilities maximize the return on their technology investments, Hometown Connections and ElectSolve will jointly market meter data management services that integrate utility data collected from disparate information sources, including AMR/AMI, SCADA, CIS, OMS, demand response, and distribution line loss management systems. ElectSolve’s strengths include in-depth expertise and experience in data integration, process development, and solutions implementation, with a proven track record of enabling advanced utility systems to communicate successfully today and prepare to migrate toward the Smart Grid systems of the future.

ElectSolve’s uCentra™ Operational Data Management System is a next-generation meter data management (MDM) system for operational data management, analysis, and reporting. It provides a full 360-degree view of all customer and operational data. The MDM is fully interoperable with all collection systems, allowing the MDM portal and dashboards to provide not only summary information, but the ability of the stakeholder to access granular information, such as a specific register value from a smart meter. The MDM performs the critical functions of: data integration and normalization with CIS data; Data Validation, Estimation and Editing (VEE); Time of Use (TOU); Aggregation/Settlement; Load Profiling; Loss Analysis Reporting System (LARS); and Data Storage and Management. ElectSolve’s web-browser-based Dashboards allow utilities to “park” operational data in various orientations and report formats on a user’s PC desktop for internal monitoring of operational statistics and business performance metrics. The MDM Web Portal provides direct access to the central energy data repository. The server-side solution provides web-browser access and the ability to select an MDM point (meter, AMI module, customer, substation, etc) and to view point details, data collected from the point, alarms, alerts, and error conditions and provides monitoring of general status of a point based on data processed into the MDM from downstream data collection systems where the operations data is collected.

“Utilities have plenty of data. Unfortunately, most of the data is hidden away in disparate databases and silos where it is not easily accessible or reportable, said Mark Ponder, Owner and CEO of ElectSolve Technology Solutions and Services. “Fundamentally, to maximize customer service and operational performance, utilities need to change how they leverage the data they have now and plan for the new data streams they anticipate having in the future. We are pleased to partner with Hometown Connections to deliver to public power a core MDM system that offers all the traditional MDM functions and goes beyond by incorporating any field endpoint or operational system to include IEDs and AMI Meters, SCADA history, CIS, and Outage Management Systems.”

Tim Blodgett, President and CEO of Hometown Connections, said, “ElectSolve has a long history of integrating data from the systems of several other vendors currently allied with Hometown Connections, including Elster, Milsoft Utilty Solutions, Survalent Technology, N-Dimension Solutions, and Cogsdale. By bringing ElectSolve into the Hometown suite of smart grid products and services, we are enabling APPA members to turn to one source for a complete array of the industry’s premier information system solutions.”

Hometown Connections International, LLC, Evergreen, COHometown Connections is a utility services subsidiary of the American Public Power Association (APPA). APPA is the national service organization for the nation’s more than 2,000 community- and state-owned electric utilities serving 45 million customers. Hometown Connections supports APPA members by securing national group pricing and service arrangements from leading industry suppliers. Please visit www.hometownconnections.com.

Electsolve Technology Solutions & Services, Shreveport, LAFor over 10 years, ElectSolve has been focused on helping electric, gas and water utilities maximize the return on their technology investment dollars. ElectSolve is a technology/vendor-neutral, full service provider of technical, management and consulting services for smart-grid-related control, monitoring and automated systems including; SCADA, AMI, MDM, Energy Efficiency Programs, Demand Response and Distribution Line Loss Management. Our strengths include in-depth expertise and experience in data integration, process development and solutions implementation. ElectSolve’s uCentra™ Operational Data Management System evolved from the founders’ original technology platform utilized to support production MDM services in mid-90’s for deregulated energy markets in California and the Northeast. ElectSolve’s first municipal MDM deployment at the City of Georgetown TX has been in full production since 1999 followed by additional multi-year production MDM/ODM systems at electric cooperatives and municipal utilities across North America supporting electric/water/gas meters. For more information, visit www.ElectSolve.com.